Hikaru Nakamura

A child prodigy in every sense of the word, Hikaru swiftly knocked down nearly every age record on his way into the elite ranks. He was, at one time, the youngest American Master in history (10 years, 79 days), the youngest American International Master (13 years, 2 months), and eventually broke Bobby fischer’s record by three months when he became  the youngest American Grandmaster at the time (15 years, 79 days).

‘Naka’, as his fans affectionately refer to him, has collected numerous titles and championships since the age of thirteen, when he arrived on the national scene by winning the 2001  U.S Junior Championship.  He quickly confirmed his place among the elites, shocking the world with a sweet sixteen appearance in the 2004 FIDE World Cup.  His accomplishments do not end there.  This recipient of the prestigious Samford Chess Fellowship, won the 2007 National Open, the North American Open three times, and was gold medalist on the first board of the 2010 World Team Championship.

Since the advent of published FIDE Blitz ratings, Nakamura has graced the top of the list, demonstrating inimitable acuity and speed.  In 2015, the American GM won the Gibraltar Chess Masters tournament, captured his fourth U.S. Championship, first place at the Millionaire Chess Open, and propelled his classical FIDE rating to a career high of 2814.  2016 also proved to be a fruitful year for Naka as he repeated first place finishes at  the Gibraltar Chess Festival and the Zurich Chess Challenge.  

Last year, Hikaru won his third consecutive Gibraltar Chess Festival.  One can only speculate as to what this four time winner of the U.S. Championship has in store for this year’s field.